3 Years Later- Round 2

It’s not Round 2 of going back onto a full-blown Medifast Meal plan…..but it is Round 2 of re-focusing on my eating habits.

Kind of like… “Help! I’ve fallen! And I can’t get up!” Because I have fallen off the wagon and it’s going to take some work to get back up to the top.

I have reverted to my old eating habits. Slowly….ever so slowly that I didn’t even realize it as it was happening. But I’m back to consuming bagels and breads almost daily, simple carbs and sweets, snacking on whatever I’m feeding the daycare kiddos (licking the serving spoons again), eating ice cream (those darn Salted Caramel Truffle Blizzards from DQ!), hitting up Starbucks on a weekly basis (Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappucinos….oh my!), and even (gasp!) indulging in soda a few times a week (good ol’ fashioned Coca Cola).

I felt like I could get away with each indulgence because I am in the best shape of my life.

I’ve been doing HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts, some pretty intense cardio workouts, and I go through phases where I run 10 miles a week (or sometimes a few weeks go by without a single run), I wear my FitBit every day and typically average 15,000 steps a day. I’m active….much more active than I’ve ever been in my life!

I’ve built a stronger body, more muscle, more endurance.

My clothes began to get tighter, but I assured myself it was just muscle gain. Or water retention from muscle repair- because oh man was I working out those muscles! More muscle means you burn more calories, so I started using it as an excuse to be able to eat more.

Recently, after a couple back-to-back weekend trips (where I’ve eaten a lot more calories than normal and indulging in unhealthy foods and alcohol), I stepped on the scale to see I had gone up a few pounds. My clothes were also TOO tight. My loose pants were no longer loose…and my tight pants, well, they were too tight. I had a bulge around my belly and a mini-muffin stop starting to form. Nothing like my “before” pictures, thank goodness, but I was certainly on the track to get that old body back! You CANNOT out exercise a bad diet.

I needed to turn this ship around NOW.

I debated going back on the 5&1 for a couple weeks as a re-start….but I can’t do that plan because of my workouts. I’m not going to give up my workouts.

I debated trying the Beach Body program that my friends have had success on, but frankly it looks like A LOT of work to pre-fill portions of food into the correct color cups and then eat the correct amount every day…. I mean, that involves a lot of meal planning in advance, for EVERY meal.

I could follow a written diet plan, but that is simply something I cannot personally do. I don’t know about you, but if today is Monday and Wednesday says my lunch is whole grain toast with avocado and goat cheese with a side of strawberries…..and Wednesday lunch time rolls around and that doesn’t sound appealing at all…. what do you do?

So I decided to just really really REALLY monitor what I was eating and make healthy choices. But, I feared that wouldn’t be enough. Then I saw this:

THE 4 & 2 & 1 PLAN IS FOR PEOPLE:
With less than 15 pounds to lose
Who exercise 45+ minutes a day
Who choose to include whole grains, low-fat dairy and fruit in their meal plans

I do have quite a few Medifast meals left. Currently, all I ever eat are the bars (for a healthy snack option- probably 3 per week when we’re on the go). Or sometimes when I’m craving a sweet chilled coffee drink I’ll have the Ready-to-eat MF Mocha. Other than that….nada.

Yet I have packages of Mashed Potatoes, Hot Cocoa, Eggs, Cereal and Pudding. So maybe it’s time to start utilizing those. Do the 4 & 2 & 1 plan.

That’s do-able. Totally do-able. My estimates have me at 1,100 calories consumed daily on that plan. Based on my previous tracking of calories, I maintain my current weight when I eat about 1,300 calories per day, so this should result in slow and steady weight loss.

But it’s not necessarily how many calories you consume…..it’s more WHAT those calories are made up of. You can eat more calories if you are choosing high protein, healthy fats and complex carbs.

And if history proves to be true again- just by cutting out the simple carbs, refined sugar, sodas & alcoholic beverages and candy….I should drop that muffin top in a hurry.

At least that’s what I’m hoping. And that’s why I’m blogging this. To show you that you can turn that ship around when it gets off course. We aren’t all perfect. Sometimes we need a refresher. It can be done.

So here it is all out in the raw…

Today is Monday June 23rd. Day One of “GETTING BACK ON TRACK”:

Current

Before TSFL

After TSFL

Weight

131.4

133

124

Waist (upper)

29.25

29.75

27

Waist (belly button)

33

34.5

29

Hips (widest)

37.25

38

35

Thigh (widest)

21.5

22

20

Keep in mind that I’ve built a lot of muscle, so I might not be able to get back down to those exact measurements or weight.

Realistically, I believe I can hit the following marks if I work really hard:

Goal

Weight

126

Waist (upper)

28

Waist (belly button)

30

Hips (widest)

36

Thigh (widest)

20

Stay tuned to see how I do on the 4 & 2 & 1 and what the result is after a few weeks on plan and continuing my fitness routines!

UPDATE:

It’s been two weeks since I’ve re-focused. You can follow along with my weekly journals to see what I actually ate, or what exercise I did. In just two weeks I have made a difference and look forward to continuing on this path. Here’s my progress thus far:

I’m definitely taking a more serious approach with my eating and fitness….I no longer have a weight LOSS goal, I have an inches lost and fat loss goal. My goal is 6-pack abs and a firmer backside!

At this point, I decided I’m not really following the 4-2-1 plan, but rather just making healthy food choices and eating 6-7 times a day. I’m still trying to incorporate Medifast Meals as snacks, because I need to USE them since I HAVE them, but I use them more as a base- and add to it in order to ensure I’m eating enough calories. I have to consume a minimum of 1200 calories on this plan. It’s not a “eat less” plan, it’s choosing to eat the right things at the right time and eating enough.

I did a BodPod analysis to determine my body fat (done during the middle of week 2) and the result was 21% body fat. I also purchased Calipers to measure myself and was able to confirm the same. My goal is to get my body back to 18% body fat.

It works!

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My Before and After

3 Years Later!

About Me

Those last 10 pounds are THE WORST. I've tried watching what I eat and exercising... and I've never been able to lose it. I'm a busy mom who works at home- running a family childcare for 6 full-time kiddos, plus taking care of our family of 5. There's food all around me, all the time. I love food. I enjoy cooking dinner and baking muffins and cookies.

I never felt like my eating habits were horrible, but let me just say that after starting the Take Shape For Life plan- my eyes were opened. I was not only overeating, but I was eating badly. Mostly sugar and carbs, very few vegetables, and certainly a lot of junk!

Following the 5&1 Medifast plan does take a lot of effort and the plan only works if you stick to it EXACTLY as outlined... but during the process I felt amazing and the weight was falling off. It is worth every penny, every sacrifice.

I started this blog as a way to track my progress, and to keep it real. YOU are all holding me accountable. Every bite that goes into my mouth is logged, along with my weight and measurements each week. I'll keep this journal going so you can see what really happens when you start (and finish!) the Take Shape For Life program.

Update:

I lost my 10 pounds...actually I lost 16 at my peak! Even more impressive is that my body fat percentage dropped from 26% to 18% in just a few months. 18% body fat is ATHLETE status and I am by no means an athlete!

My focus now is eating balanced meals throughout the day and maintaining my weight and measurements. It's been over a year now and I've been able to maintain my weight and size with minimal difficulty. Sure, there's weekends and Holidays where I might stray and binge, and there's definitely repercussions for that, but if I'm mindful of what I'm eating and follow the basic maintenance rules, I can maintain my loss. My maintaining weight is 124 pounds.

This program WORKS and I'd love to help you be successful in reaching your goal for a healthier you.